HOLLYWOOD—Actress
Kathryn Prescott didn’t let on to her “A Dog’s Journey” co-star Dennis Quaid
that she and her twin sister, Megan, were obsessed with his version of “The
Parent Trap” back when they were kids.

“We’d
make our mum play it again and again,” recalls the London-born actress. “So,
when I got this (gig) and found out I’d be working with Dennis, it was kind of
crazy.”

The
27-year-old actress plays CJ, the only granddaughter of Ethan (Quaid), who takes
in the little girl and her mother to live at his rural Michigan farm after his
son dies in a car accident. However, tensions rise as the Gloria (Betty Gilpin)
struggles with alcoholism, and eventually she takes the toddler and moves far
away. Years later, a grown-up CJ (Prescott) returns to get to know the family
she missed out on for years.

“A
Dog’s Journey” is the follow up to the 2017 sleeper hit, “A Dog’s Purpose,” each
based on the popular W. Bruce Cameron novels. In it, a dog name Bailey (voiced
by Josh Gad reprising his role from the original) is reincarnated over and over
again. The dog, who returns as various breeds and genders, tries to fulfill its
promise to Ethan that he will always protect CJ. Growing up with a neglectful
mother, CJ struggles as a young adult with self-worth. She moves to New York to
follow her dream of being a singer-songwriter, but suffers from stage fright.
She finds encouragement from longtime friend Trent (Henry Lau) and
unconditional love from a series of dogs that come into her life, who just
happen to be Bailey at their core.

The
perky, pixie-like Prescott says signing onto the film was a no-brainer. She’s an
avowed dog lover and felt it was high time for a movie centering on a girl and
her dog—as opposed to the usual “boy-and-his-dog.” She currently stars on the
AMC Western “The Son,” with Pierce Brosnan.

Q: Had you watched the original or read “A Dog’s Journey” or “A Dog’s Purpose?”

Prescott:
I hadn’t read the books yet, but I’d watched the first film. When I found out I
got the part, I read “A Dog’s Journey,” the book, and the children’s books
versions. The book’s darker.

Q: What was the appeal to you?

Prescott:
I loved that it was the story of a girl and her dog. I feel like we’ve seen the
story of a boy and his dog a hundred times. While some of those have been
great, I feel like girls have dogs and dogs touch girls’ lives, so I really
liked that aspect of it. Even with Gloria (CJ’s mom), who is painted in a very
negative light, she does get her redemption. It’s not just, “Oh, this person’s
an alcoholic so she’s bad.” It’s more like, “This person is hurting so she’s
self-medicating,” and she eventually works through it and asks for forgiveness.

Q: How was it working with Betty Gilpin, who plays your mom?

Prescott:
I loved working with Betty. I’d watched her on “GLOW.” I remember being very
impressed; I think she’s brilliant. When I found out I got the part, I was
like, “Yay! Betty Gilpin’s playing my mom.” Though I loved working with her, we
didn’t get to work together that much. We don’t have that many scenes together,
which I think is indicative of the relationship that CJ and Gloria have. I was
sad to not work more with Betty.

Q: Do you have a dog?

Prescott:
I have an English bulldog called Marge. She’s here today. You might see her
walking around.

Q: Do you suspect dogs may be reincarnated?

Prescott:
I’ve never thought it about with Marge. She’s a rescue and I’ve only had her
for two years. But she’s eight so when I look at her I wonder, “Where were you
before? What happened to you?” She has certain behaviors. She’s like a puzzle
that I’m trying to figure out.

Q: Did you have much time to rehearse with the animals you work with in this film?

Prescott:
No. We didn’t need it. The dogs were trained beforehand. I met them on the
first day we shot with them. They were so eager to please and want to be around
people giving them treats and giving them love that they were cool.

Q: Did you have pockets full of kibble while filming?

Prescott:
Yes. (She laughs.) The costume designer kept reminding us that they had to wash
our costumes in the evening so please take the bits of bacon out of the
pockets. I tried to remember but sometimes I’d stick my hands in my pocket and
go, “Ohhh!”

Q: How did this work out with your TV series schedule?

Prescott:
We shot this after the TV show so it worked out pretty well.

Q: Did you audition for the role of CJ or did you send in a tape?

Prescott:
I auditioned and then I auditioned again with Gail (Mancuso, the director).
They asked me if I played any musical instruments and I said, “I’ve tried the
drums once. But I could learn!” I was supposed to go to Tokyo and they wanted
me to come back. It was like a big thing. But I did audition a few times before
getting the part.

Q: You ended up learning to play guitar for the song you end up singing in the club, right?

Prescott:
Yes.

Q: CJ suffers from acute stage fright. Were you scared at all to perform?

Prescott:
I was right there with her. Eventually, that was the thing that made me feel
better because I’m not a musician. I’m not a singer. I was never into musical
theater; it was never really my thing. Plus, singing and playing guitar at the
same time was daunting. But I knew (CJ) was terrified so it wasn’t like I had
to get up there and be this amazing performer.

Q: Has this warmed you up to the idea of singing?

Prescott:
It definitely broke the seal. I have a very specific range so if I sang again,
it would have to be something very specific for me.

Q: When did you shoot this?

Prescott:
It was the beginning of August in Winnipeg (Canada), so it was very hot. And we
finished it in October, when it was just starting to snow.

Q: How was it working with Dennis Quaid and Marg Helgenberger?

Prescott:
It was great. I’m a twin, so my sister and I grew up watching “The Parent
Trap,” (with Quaid). I don’t think I ever told him that I was a big fan of “The
Parent Trap.” And Marg was lovely. It was great working with both of them.
Dennis had done the first one (“A Dog’s Purpose”) so he kind of knew what he
was doing with the dogs, and so forth.

Q: How was it working with director Gail Mancuso?

Prescott:
When I got the part, I felt very safe knowing it was Gail, firstly, but also
because Gail is a woman, I felt there was an extra layer of safety about the
story and the character. This is a story about a young girl growing up and
dealing with the difficulties of that—not having the perfect parental support
network she should have had. So, I felt an extra layer of safety with her. She
handled the direction with so much sensitivity. She cared about the realism.
She was very collaborative and always wanted to make me feel comfortable and do
the most authentic version of the thing.

Q: These films are about how dogs fulfill their purpose in serving a human. But do you feel as humans we have a purpose for being here, or do you think it’s all random?

Prescott:
I was talking to a dog trainer, who was not involved in this film, and he was
telling me a dog needs a purpose. Actually, he said, “a dog needs a job.” They
are animals that need to work, to do something. If they don’t feel they have a
purpose, they will find themselves a job. If they don’t feel they have a job,
they will feel lost and maybe rip up the couch or overtly protect that owner by
being aggressive to other dogs. The same thing happens with humans. Maybe we
are just an accident but in order to be happy and feel peace, we have to find a
purpose, a job. I listen to “Hidden Brain” on NPR, and they talk about
happiness and peace. You don’t necessarily have to do volunteer work. They’ve
talked with people who clean hospitals, and they go the extra mile and talk to
patients and cheer them up. They find meaning in their job. Waiting around for
meaning and purpose coming to you, is not the way to find peace.

Q: Is there a real Trent in your life, whose always there when you need him?

Prescott:
I don’t know if she’s exactly my rock, because we haven’t always gotten along,
but my twin sister has been through everything I’ve been through my whole life,
until we moved to different countries.

Q: She’s not an actor, though, right?

Prescott:
We started out acting together and then she found herself more interested in
the writing side. She still acts occasionally, but she’s much more into writing
and comedy. She does stand up and she’s hilarious. She lives in England.

Q: Do you get a chance to see each other that much?

Prescott:
She has a visa to work here so she can come out to visit whenever she wants,
and I go home at Christmas and during the summer every year. And we speak a lot
on the phone.

Q: What are you working on now?

Prescott:
I’m in post-production on a short film I directed. I also have the TV show,
“The Son,” which the second season just started on AMC. I play a German slave
who was captured by a Native American tribe. That’s one time period. The other
time period stars Pierce Brosnan who first discovered oil in Texas. So, it
flips between him as a child and him as an adult. We’re shooting in Austin.

Q: What’s your favorite film that you enjoy watching over and over again?

Prescott:
There’s a film called “Mary and Max.” It’s a stop-motion animated film about a
young girl in Australia who is a pen pal with a Jewish guy in New York. He’s
overweight and doesn’t really leave his apartment. He has social anxiety. The
girl has a mother who doesn’t care about her. And they become friends. I really
love that film. It’s the same people who
did the “Harvie Krumpet” short film.

Angela Dawson

Editor/Co-owner

Angela Dawson is the editor and co-owner of frontrowfeatures.com. An award-winning journalist, she has covered Hollywood since 2000. Her interviews with actors, directors, writers, authors and musicians have run in numerous outlets. She is the author of the novel "Generations: A Greek Family Odyssey" available on Amazon.com.

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Angela Dawson

Angela Dawson is the editor and co-owner of frontrowfeatures.com. An award-winning journalist, she has covered Hollywood since 2000. Her interviews with actors, directors, writers, authors and musicians have run in numerous outlets. She is the author of the novel "Generations: A Greek Family Odyssey" available on Amazon.com. Read Full